Shopping day
by Fridoline
Summary: It's a rare shared day off so Sanji drags Zoro to the mall for some extensive shopping. It's not really Zoro's favourite activity but there are a few things he still enjoys.


Zoro sighs when they step on the escalator to the upper floor of the huge mall.

It is shopping day with Sanji and that man leaves no store unvisited. While Zoro is the type to browse with his eyes and grab whatever item he likes in a most likely fitting size, his boyfriend is the type who needs to touch every single piece of clothing on the hanger, hold it up to his body, compare it with a trillion other things and always, really always, needs to try it on in the changing room. It takes so much time. It also does not help that Sanji even browses the women section, always on a look-out for nice outfits for any and all of his female friends – he has plenty.

They've been in this mall for hours already and after the first level Zoro's enthusiasm had been waning rapidly. Since then, he has just let himself get dragged after Sanji, hand firmly clasped in his own, waiting for this shopping trip to be over. At least he enjoys the handholding.

Sanji tugs him off the escalator and Zoro realizes that he has led them to the food court. Restaurants, diners, bakeries, cafés, snack bars, bistros, ice cream parlours, even a pub. American, Italian, Greek, Turkish, Japanese – a culinary overload. On cue, Zoro's stomach starts growling as soon as the different fragrances hit his nostrils and awaken his appetite.

"I figured you would be hungry by now," Sanji chuckles, "let's take a break." He looks around, scanning the various options for a store that suits their needs and budget. They settle for a small diner with a great meat menu as well as a nice salad bar. The menu shows agreeable prices for the food, the place is bright and welcoming and the tables are spotlessly clean.

"You have been very well-behaved today, I'll let you order what you want as a reward," Sanji flashes Zoro a cheeky grin with this tease. Despite his general concern about providing a well-balanced diet and the best nutritional value whenever he cooks for someone, Sanji is not so strict about it when they are eating out. Hell, even at home, the high-class chef is no stranger to 'unhealthy' eating binges every once in a while.

Zoro doesn't have to be told twice and goes for the big, juicy steak, while Sanji chooses a chicken breast sandwich and a nice mixture of the salad bar selection.

Despite the clearly bigger plate and portion, Zoro finishes first. Sanji takes his time. He is a comparatively slow eater – and in their circle of friends that term is _very_ relative -, especially when he is not all that hungry. It does not help that Sanji uses his mouth more to chatter about, typing away on his smart phone as he sends a couple of pictures from various outfits and trinkets to Nami and others with a shared taste for these things.

Zoro does not care much about that stuff but he listens anyways and makes some non-committal sounds in his part of their fashion-leaning conversation.

The empty plate pushed further towards the middle of the table - his sign that he is done with the meal -, Zoro leans back and lounges comfortably in his chair watching Sanji with an amused smile. Those blue eyes gleam and flicker between Zoro and the smartphone screen as Sanji animatedly relays whatever Nami's most recent reply was to whatever dress or jewellery picture was sent last. He gestures wildly, praising Nami's apparently very professional insight on the matter, and when his wrist slightly knocks against his drink, Sanji seems to remember that he is still having a meal, takes a quick sip and two bites of his sandwich, licks his lips, and continues his rant without a break in his train of thought.

Eventually even Sanji finishes and leans back a bit, satisfied and yearning for a cigarette. The little twitch of movement of his hand towards the breast pocket of his shirt gives it away. But the food court is obviously a non-smoking area. In fact, the whole mall is.

Sated, and with the food drowsiness sneakily setting in, even Sanji's motivation to keep the shopping spree going is rapidly waning. Granted, there are not that many stores left to visit and more and more people filling them up, making everything even busier. His shopping loot so far is satisfactory, two bags of a few new shirts and a couple of slacks, some essentials like socks and boxer briefs. He already got what he needs and then some. And if Sanji is honest, he has tortured Zoro long enough. They have been here since opening hours.

"I'm spent. Let's go home, shall we?" Sanji asks as if Zoro would oppose that idea. He does not, of course, but with this small win on his side, he can't keep a little tease from slipping out.

"Huh, wasn't this just a little lunch break?" Zoro's sharp eyebrows rise in feigned surprise.

Sanji is playing with the plastic straw in his now empty glass, twirling it between his thumb and index finger. He leans forward and puts the glass on the table with a definite thud. There is that spark in those blue eyes that never fail to excite Zoro as they connect directly with his dark ones.

"It appears that I underestimated how tiring it would be to drag a muscle brain behind me all day long. You are worse than a pit bull pulling on his leash." For emphasis Sanji rolls his shoulders back and turns his head to the left and to the right once, eliciting a nice crack from his neck each time.

"It was your idea and insistence that I come along," Zoro counters with a shrug.

Sanji flicks his straw so hard it bounces against the rim of the glass and dances along it for a few rounds. Zoro grins. Annoying the boyfriend: goal accomplished. The glare he receives is still half-hearted at best.

"If you want to keep shopping _that _badly, just say the word. There are still _plenty_ of shops around and I really wouldn't mind indulging-" Zoro's laugh interrupts Sanji's theatrics. "No thanks. We'll leave." He shakes his head and gives in. After all, Zoro knows when to rest his case and since they both want to return home he should not risk playing himself like that just to get a rise out of his boyfriend. It is fun though.

Counting this as his win, Sanji grins and signals for the waiter to come over to their table. He asks for the bill and settles it with an additional, generous tip.

As they move to leave, Zoro grabs both of Sanji's shopping bags in one hand, swinging them over his shoulder, and extends his other one towards his partner in a quiet and casual invitation to take it, which Sanji does, interweaving their fingers.

Since they did not come by car today, they don't go up to the parking deck, this time. Instead, they take the elevator down to the bottom floor and head straight for one of the exits.

Once outside, Sanji instantly makes a grab for his pack of smokes and lights up one of the sticks. He inhales the first drag deeply and lets out a plume of smoke on a satisfied sigh.

At this time of day the city is buzzing with activity and the plaza in front of the mall is getting a little crowded.

Sanji takes another drag and turns his head to the left to exhale as an already stressed out looking mother with a bunch of wild kids pass by on his right, exasperatedly promising for what appears not to be the first nor the last time that, yes, they will go to the toy store, too, and yes, there might even be ice cream on the horizon but only if they behave well and listen to what she tells them to do.

From that little snippet of overheard conversation, Sanji is sure that no matter how those hyperactive children will behave, ice cream is a definite thing that is going to happen, if only to shut those talkative little mouths up for a second or two. He grins as he can already see the marginal success of that mission, ice cream can be a messy affair, he knows from experience with Luffy and even Chopper, who –unlike the former – is usually a rather well-behaved kid but gets quite excited once sweets are involved.

Zoro's gaze is turned on a group of teenaged boys, schoolbags on their backs or rather more like slung over one shoulder to appear cool, dragged halfway across the ground like a dead dog or flung at each other in a little roughhousing that has no regard for the content of those bags or how much damage they can actually inflict on each other. Zoro remembers those heavy tomes and how they packed quite a punch when wielded smartly.

The group of boys is clearly headed towards the video game store, where they will probably spend most of the afternoon since it is one of those shops where you can test out those new consoles and games to your heart's content and the kids seem to be excited about some new fighting game or something.

"Looks like we caught the right time to leave," Sanji comments and taps off some ash from his cigarette. He steps closer to Zoro and reclaims his free hand.

Zoro turns his attention back to him. "You just wanted a smoke." He knows that Sanji is a social creature who does not mind a bit of a buzz, even if he complaints about their noisy friends all the time. The smile on his face, when their chaotic friend group gets together to do some mischief, always gives him away. That friend group and the loud, busy, stressful restaurant are basically the cook's family and home.

Sanji shrugs. "I told you, it's exhausting to drag your unwilling ass from store to store." He tugs Zoro closer as he starts walking home, swinging their arms playfully in direct contradiction to his words. He obviously enjoys leading Zoro around much more than he would ever let on.

Zoro grins and gently squeezes Sanji's hand in his own. "Wouldn't want to tire you out too much," he replies.

Sanji stumps out his cigarette butt in the next public ashtray they pass, then he leans in close to Zoro, his free hand smoothing out the crinkles in the shirt over those pectorals he loves. "Wouldn't mind you tiring me out a little more….at home," he whispers in his most seductive, raspy voice.

Zoro immediately leans forward to capture those cheeky lips between his own. He resists the urge to just drop those bags in favour of grabbing Sanji's ass but does nibble a bit on his bottom lip to show him how on board with the idea he is.

Even though he instigated this, Sanji is absolutely taken by the kiss and almost forgets where they are until some kids start hollering at them, probably the boys that they just walked past, and he breaks it off with a laugh and a nice flush lighting up his cheeks.

An older woman chuckles in delight and smiles fondly at the couple.

Zoro grumbles at the loss of contact and glares at the kids, especially the boy who started making retching sounds all with a very convincing vomiting act, bowed over and sticking his fingers in his throat.

Sanji snorts at that and very maturely sticks his tongue out towards the boys, who make exaggerated kissing faces at each other, smacking their lips and cracking up. "Little shits," Sanji says, shaking his head with an amused smile still stretched across his face.

"I bet vomit boy is the first of the bunch who'll end up with his tongue stuck down another guy's throat in a couple years max," Zoro states dryly and earns himself a reprimanding slap against his arm from Sanji, who still looks way too amused by it all.

Sanji in a good mood only makes him more irresistible to Zoro, so in order not to waste this atmosphere, he tightens his grip on Sanji's hand and just suddenly yanks him along as he starts dashing off towards home and the promise of some hot bedroom activity.

Sanji stumbles along with a yelp but immediately synchs with Zoro's pace and soon takes over the lead, before Zoro can take the wrong turn.

They don't even notice the couple of curious glances from other pedestrians as they race through the streets like lunatics, laughing and happy.


End file.
